IN A move which brings controlled atmosphere technology within the reach of the smaller grower, 6m boxes are now available for CA shipments through Safmarine.
It's far more manageable than a 12m for the smaller grower, says Arthur Kemp, operations manager of Cape Town-based manufacturers, TransFRESH. The first 6m shipment of asparagus landed in Zeebrugge recently.
Compared to airfreight, there was a saving of R3 a kilo. But most importantly, the quality of the product was such that the exporter has already come back for a 12m box, Kemp told FTW.
Growing emthusiasm for the CA concept is particularly evident in the dramatic success recorded with avocado exports.
Last year we moved 180 avocado containers. This year it's up to 550 boxes, and we probably lost about 125 containers through lack of equipment, said Kemp. The outlook for the season ahead is almost double that. Another success story has been a joint programme with Unifruco designed to extend the shelf life of apples.
The fruit is picked, goes into a controlled atmosphere store, moves to its destination in a CA container, and at destination is either moved into a land-based CA store or is marketed.
This extends the marketable period for major retailers in the UK, and by all accounts they're very happy with the quality. Ongoing research is proving valuable in extending the product range, says Kemp.
We are looking at new products like mange tout which is extensively airfreighted from Zimbabwe. We can now consider moving the product by truck for onward seafreight transport from South Africa.
